A New Model of Programming for Youth

About the Program

Category: Children and Youth (Best in Category)

Year: 2012

A New Model of Programming for Youth Johnson County, KS Population: 506,562 The Youth and Family Services Center is a new model for the programming of youth in the Johnson County community. The new facility is located in Olathe, Kansas and houses a comprehensive set of new services designed to enhance the delivery of interventions for youth and families who are experiencing family dysfunction, have been arrested and referred for intake and assessment by law enforcement, or are involved with the juvenile justice system based upon an order of the court. The new state of the art building houses a family resource center, a training and conference center for county staff and community stakeholders who are involved in juvenile related issues, intake and assessment services, and 33 minimum custody juvenile detention beds. Additionally, this facility and its programs assist in the processing of juvenile abuse and neglect cases, providing a place for local law enforcement officers to bring the youth while staff determines the most appropriate placement possible to protect the welfare of the child. Many programs are housed in this facility that are designed to help youth and families in the community. Very functional, safety oriented interview offices line a secure entry hallway in which staff bring the youth and family for the purpose of conducting an assessment interview. Staff “book” the youth into the local and state systems by entering client data which is electronically sent to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation for inclusion into the state fingerprint database. In another section of the FRC, the youth who are considered abused and neglected are processed. The entry for these cases comes from a secure, outside entrance which allows police officers to bring the youth into this secure area and an investigation into the case continues by a partner agency. Some of the youth presented may be in need of food and bathing. In the minimum-security detention section of the YFSC, 33 beds were created for youth awaiting court hearings, for a court ordered cognitive behavioral treatment program, or as placement for violation of court orders. These beds were created to separate the higher level risk from the lower risk youth within the detention structure. The programming in this facility is largely evidence-based, adopting best practices which address the cognitive restructuring for clients. Staff are trained in techniques which encourage and motivate youth, while holding them accountable for their behaviors. Approximately 75% of the clients assigned to the program have successfully completed the residential component since August 2011. Clients and their families are responding to the overall goal of reintegrating the youth back into the home with newly developed skills which address conflict management and coping mechanisms. Clients have maintained positive, goal oriented approaches to working through the program, as well as to work on family relationships